Siege of Port Hudson begins and ends
- When
- 1863
- Where
- Port Hudson, Louisiana
- Episodes
- 2
The Siege of Port Hudson (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River. Union forces under General Nathaniel Banks besieged the Confederate stronghold, ending with the surrender of General Franklin Gardner's garrison on July 9, 1863, after news of Vicksburg's fall.
Episodes
- Siege Begins
Union land and naval forces began a campaign in May 1863 to control the Mississippi River, leading to the siege of Port Hudson.
- Siege Ends
Confederate garrison surrendered on July 9, 1863, after learning Vicksburg had fallen, ending 48 days of fighting.
Background and detail
Background. Controlling the Mississippi River was a major strategic goal for both sides since April 1861. Union forces advanced control from the north and south in 1862. Confederate leaders recommended fortifying Port Hudson as a precaution against the fall of defenses north of Memphis. The political momentum for Union actions came from the elections of November 1862.
Commanders. General Nathaniel Banks was ordered to capture the lower Mississippi Confederate stronghold of Port Hudson. He arrived in New Orleans in December 1862 with 31,000 men. Major General Franklin Gardner arrived at his post on December 27, 1862, to command the Confederate garrison.
Outcome. Gardner learned that Vicksburg had surrendered on July 4, 1863, realizing his situation was hopeless. Terms of surrender were negotiated, and on July 9, 1863, the Confederates laid down their weapons, ending 48 days of continuous fighting. Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River.
People involved
- Nathaniel P. Banks · Union General
- Franklin Gardner · Confederate General
Sources
- Siege of Port Hudson Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
- Nathaniel P. Banks Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.